Sir, – I write with pride in our Government for joining with the 127 other countries in the UN General Assembly’s overwhelming vote in criticism of US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. That Trump decision has the danger of putting an end to the achievement of peace between these two neighbouring states, and to a long-overdue relief of the situation where Palestine is effectively the prisoner of Israel, which controls its borders, disallows it to have its own army, or airline, and contrary to the UN, keeps extending its boundary into Palestinian territory to build its settlements.
Our Government has over the years granted both political and financial support for Palestine, and we have the distinction of being the first country in the EU to call for the creation of a Palestinian state nearly four decades ago. We were also pleased that Seanad Éireann on October 22nd, 2014, unanimously passed a motion calling on the then-government to recognise formally the state of Palestine. Likewise, Dáil Éireann,following the Seanad vote, passed a motion on December 10th , 2014, to “officially recognise the state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital, as established in UN resolutions, as a further positive contribution to securing a negotiated two-state settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ”.
Our Government has not yet formally recognised the state of Palestine, and it is now more important than ever before that Ireland adds its name to the 137 countries that currently grant formal recognition to the state of Palestine.
There can be no doubt that the principal international legal criteria for the recognition of a Palestinian state have already been met. Furthermore, official recognition of the Palestinian state by the EU member states will strengthen the case for a two-state solution and will help in particular to provide parity of status between Palestine and Israel which is essential for a lasting peace settlement in what both Israelis and Palestinians still refer to as the Holy Land. – Yours, etc,
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Dr JOHN KELLY,
Professor Emeritus,
University College Dublin,
Belfield,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Leaving aside the rights or wrongs of Donald Trump’s declaration that America recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, it should be remembered that America is a refuge nation and recognises Israel as another such. The Irish were just one people who availed of American hospitality. – Yours, etc,
MELVYN WILCOX,
Cork.